This summer, Bird Conservancy of the Rockies partnered with the Colorado Natural Heritage Program to host two undergraduate students from Colorado State University as interns through the Siegele Internship Program. This internship program creates paid opportunities for early career professionals to get hands-on experience with biologists to gain field skills, explore their interests, and assist with conservation and monitoring programs across a variety of environmental applications. Our interns this year included Laura Campbell, a senior majoring in Conservation Biology, and Leila Aburomia, a sophomore majoring in Ecosystem Science and Sustainability.
Laura and Leila (middle) with their Bird Conservancy internship supervisors Marion (L) and Adrienne (R).
Both Laura and Leila had meaningful experiences in their early childhoods that fostered a sense of appreciation for the environment and birds in particular. For example, Leila grew up on an orchard and both her parents are avid birders, while, Laura had this to say about her childhood:
“ … I have had a passion for birds for the majority of my life dating back to when I was around 3, when my mom would read me field guides and show me pictures of birds. My pile of bird books kept on growing until I was out in the field, birding across the country, identifying everything I saw. I have been writing that I want to be an ornithologist in my journals since I was 7 years old (of course, I spelled it wrong at the time). I am obsessed with continuously learning and wanting to know everything about what I see outside.”
This passion of Laura’s propelled her to apply for the Siegele Internship to gain relevant professional experience. When Laura received the news that she was accepted in the internship program and would be hosted by Bird Conservancy of the Rockies, she was ecstatic. She knew that she would be “embarking on the best adventure of any summer yet”.
The Mexican Spotted Owl Colorado crew.
Laura and Leila started off the internship by joining the Mexican Spotted Owl training with the rest of the seasonal technicians. Alongside the crew, Laura learned how to keep safe in the field, used a GPS unit for the first time, learned to take a bearing on a compass, and took quizzes to solidify her ability to recognize owls at night by sound. Laura was “…surprised to find out we were going to just be hiking straight up a mountain in the dark with no trail and bushwhacking a majority of the way. Even with bugs flying at me into every crevice, I was having the time of my life!”
Owl surveys were far from the only experience to be gained from this internship. For example, Laura and Leila met with the development team to learn about what goes into funding a nonprofit, with the biometrician team to learn about data analysis, and joined a Natural Resources Inventory training to learn to conduct rangeland restoration vegetation surveys. They also joined the Motus team at Soapstone Natural Area to learn more about how we track birds, as well as the Integrated Monitoring in Bird Conservation Regions training. They assisted in conducting point count surveys, spent a morning at our Pineridge bird banding station, and joined an overnight camp with our education team to help lead a bird walk for 15-17 year olds.
Laura and Leila were also fascinated by the work of our Stewardship team. They joined our Wildlife Habitat Biologists in a beaver/wetland restoration workshop and then took their experience in the field: they facilitated coexistence with beavers by building a culvert fence on a beaver dam, helped with post-restoration monitoring near the South Platte, and saw firsthand interactions with private landowners involved with conservation easements.
Every week brought new stories and experiences, some of which Laura was eager to share:
When she joined Olivia Laws and Ashley Mertz (our Wildlife Habitat Biologists) to help with the beaver restoration project, she was immediately “…handed hog ring pliers and told to start clasping the steel rings onto the fence we were about to build. Next thing you know I’m in muck boots and waders lifting this newly built fence with all of my strength over a hill, through cattails, and into muddy water. We are all sweating and maneuvering this heavy metal fence that’s already full of water. Needless to say, I was having so much fun. Everyone had such a positive attitude and was laughing the whole time.”
“Another special highlight was during one of the hardest hikes I did for the Mexican Spotted Owl surveys. It demanded one hour of straight bushwhacking uphill. It was all worth it because, at our second point of the night, a Long-eared Owl silently flew to the top of the dead tree right behind me. It made absolutely no noise and stayed long enough for me to get a good look at it before it flew off.
Another memorable experience was spending a day at the On the Wing overnight camp up at the Cal-Wood Education Center, where Leila and I got to join the camp leaders on a bird walk. It was amazing to see how passionate these teenagers were about birds and potentially having the same career path as me in the future. They asked Leila and me questions about how we got to where we are and advice on what courses to take in college. It made me feel like a role model in a sense; influencing the next generation of people in natural resources meant a lot to me.
Laura having a blast during this summers internship with Bird Conservancy.
Overall, my favorite part of the internship was the connections made in the field and the office. I was able to talk with all of the different teams within Bird Conservancy and learn more about their careers. It allowed me to gain major insights into future opportunities and listen to their career paths. Everyone at Bird Conservancy was very inclusive and welcoming. I loved being thrown into all of the individual projects and playing an important role. The internship was such a positive environment, especially being surrounded by like-minded people who are so enthusiastic about the natural world.
On a personal note, this internship allowed me to embrace my love for birds. I have grown as an individual both mentally and physically through this internship. I am significantly more confident in my abilities to lead a group, overcome uncomfortable situations, work in all different weather conditions, communicate my needs, ask questions, the list goes on….
I am excited about going back to school at CSU to finish my undergraduate degree in conservation biology. I’m looking forward to the next steps in my career and utilizing the large new skill set gained from this summer in my future positions.
If you have the opportunity of being a Siegele intern and partner with Bird Conservancy of the Rockies, I 100/10 recommend it! With a flexible mindset, positive attitude, patience, willingness to work hard, and confidence in your abilities, you will enjoy every single minute of it and will never want it to end.
Leila and Laura enjoying their time with our Stewardship team members.
I want to send a special thanks to the staff at Bird Conservancy for allowing Leila and I to work with your organization, help out on your projects, and for taking time out of your work schedules to give us the professional field experience we will cherish greatly moving forward. This has been a wonderful experience and a summer to remember.”
Watch our interview with Laura and Leila below!
